Catalan breakaway parties move toward transition deal

Chief negotiators for the parties hoping to leadCatalonia’s separation from Spain moved Tuesday toward a pact that would unblock attempts to form a regional government.

The deal would allow the center-right Junts pel sí (Together for Yes) and the far-left CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) to end a three-month stalemate and push forward their ambitious plan to transform Catalonia into an independent state by mid-2017.

Now it is up to an assembly of the far-left group to approve the deal Sunday. Raül Romeva, the leader of the Junts pel sí group in the Catalan parliament, told reporters in Barcelona that the proposal “has been worked out” with leading delegates of the rival party.

“We presented a proposal for an agreement,” Romeva said.

The two parties wona majority of seats in the Catalan regional parliament in the September 27 regional elections, which was billed as a quasi-referendum on independence.

One month later, their delegates in the parliament adopted a resolution to launch a “massive, sustainable and peaceful” secession from Spain, but failed to agree on a common candidate to preside over their new government.

Junts pel sí, which holds 62 seats in the parliament, backs Catalonia’s President Artur Mas to lead. But CUP, which has ten seats, refused to give Mas at least two votes necessary to reach a simple majority for his appointment.

CUP delegates say that Mas lacks credibility in fighting corruption and they are highly critical of social spending cuts under his leadership of Catalonia, a period when all of Spain suffered a severe economic downturn.

The new proposal envisages the formation of a “government of transition” with Mas as the president, but with three other powerful presidents of committees: Oriol Junqueras for the economy, Neus Munté for social affairs and Raül Romeva for external affairs.

“The proposal is not about one [single] president, but about creating a presidency of transition, which is different from the autonomous presidency” that has governed Catalonia in the past, Romeva said.

Romeva added that should there be a green light by the CUP assembly, the Catalan parliament would appoint the new government before New Year’s Eve.

Time is running out for a deal, as Catalonia faces new elections if no government is formed by January 10.

Instead, most voteswent to the newly formed left-wing bloc, En Comú Podem (United We Can), which is affiliated with the nationwide upstart leftish Podemos (We Can) led by Pablo Iglesias.

The pro-independence movement has other challenges ahead: The Spanish Constitutional Court declared in November that the Catalan resolution for separation is unlawful.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party, currently at pains to find his own majority for a new, national government, said in November he would “apply the full law…to preserve Spanish unity.”

Out of the three other parties that performed well during Sunday’s national elections, the Socialist Workers’ Party and the center-right Ciudadanos have already raised sharp objections to independence. Only Podemos is principally in favor of granting Catalonia a referendum to break from Spain.

This article has been updated the clarify the position of Artur Mas, who was described as the former president of Catalonia. He remains in power as there has been no new government formed since the elections of September 27.